Coop build, what am I missing?

[saysfaa]

You might consider raising the people door and pop door. When they are level with the floor, the litter spills out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Poultry/fence staples, not "Arrow brand" staple gun staples.

Like this:

You might consider raising the people door and pop door. When they are level with the floor, the litter spills out.

The one major mistake we made on the Little Monitor Coop that we couldn't readily fix.

 

[HogeHomestead]

You don't need plywood under the galvanized roofing. Just put purlins at the spacing recommended for your snow load.

Thanks @saysfaa ! I didn't think of purlins because I didn't see them being used on a lot of the coop designs. But That's an easy fix I can definitely do!

I'm not familiar with thermal activated vents

They are for the hot summer days more than anything. I have them for my greenhouse. When the air at the top gets too hot, they automatically open and there's a fan that begins to run. It releases the hot air and lets cool air come through the fan part. In the winter it's pretty useless, that's why I was worried about ventilation!

The ladder/ramp is too steep

I just drew the ladder there for the concept. I didn't know about the angles though so I'll write down 45 for when we go to build. The spacing of the roosts will likely shift a bit by the time I start building

 

[HogeHomestead]

What do you have?

We have fox and coyotes up here. A fox is definitely likely to dig, but I haven't seen circumstances where the coyotes do. The roam the neighborhood we are in now and usually just show up on the ring cameras, but never inside anyones fences.

It's a standard 6' privacy fence. But hardwire cloth will 100% go under the run and coop, as well as used for the run sides and all coop openings. These girls will be treated like our pets haha, they're getting all the protection I can offer!

As @DobieLover said, laying is related to hours of daylight

Yes I read that too! The plan for now is a solar light at the top of the coop that has a timer on it. I was going to do it at night when it got dark super early during the winters but you do make a really good point... I'm going to look into different types of timers I can set to see if I can get morning light going instead.

 

[HogeHomestead]

You might consider raising the people door and pop door. When they are level with the floor, the litter spills out.

Yes! We currently have a basic rectangular "deck" that will be removed and repurposed into the foundation. That way there are deck boards on the people side, but just the ground and bedding on the chicken side.

 

[HogeHomestead]

Like this:

View attachment 2825570
View attachment 2825571



The one major mistake we made on the Little Monitor Coop that we couldn't readily fix.

Excellent tip, thank you both!

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks @saysfaa ! I didn't think of purlins because I didn't see them being used on a lot of the coop designs. But That's an easy fix I can definitely do!

They are for the hot summer days more than anything. I have them for my greenhouse. When the air at the top gets too hot, they automatically open and there's a fan that begins to run. It releases the hot air and lets cool air come through the fan part. In the winter it's pretty useless, that's why I was worried about ventilation!

I just drew the ladder there for the concept. I didn't know about the angles though so I'll write down 45 for when we go to build. The spacing of the roosts will likely shift a bit by the time I start building

Purlins are used extensively in the south. Here's my son securing them on our new coop.

And the results:

(There will be siding above the nests up to the horizontal board that's visible, but not above that -- I'm in a "heat is the killer" sort of climate).

In a moderate climate, especially for an open air build like mine, there is no problem with condensation. A more tightly-closed coop in a high-humidity area with less ventilation could see condensation problems.

The ways to prevent that include generous venting at the top and bottom of the roof slope, installing on plywood rather than purlins, or insulating under the roof with foamboard (which MUST NOT be accessible to the chickens because they have a weird love for snacking on Styrofoam).

It's a standard 6' privacy fence. But hardwire cloth will 100% go under the run and coop, as well as used for the run sides and all coop openings.

Make an anti-dig apron or a 12" deep trench rather than having hardware cloth on the run floor itself. Chickens naturally want to dig and scratch and will have their feet hurt and their instincts frustrated if you put wire on the floor of their enclosure.

 

[HogeHomestead]

Make an anti-dig apron

This makes a lot more sense than what I can imagining We are doing pea gravel surrounding the coop because the coop will be in the (fenced) garden with all of our herbs, fruits, and veggie. I wanted them to be able to have supervised foraging time to get the bugs and nibble on some of the(safe for chickens) plants! Can I lay the pea gravel over the apron?

I'm in a "heat is the killer" sort of climate

Say no more... I'm from Charleston, SC. Walking outside during the summer is like walking into thick steam. It can be hard to breathe some days!

 

[3KillerBs]

This makes a lot more sense than what I can imagining We are doing pea gravel surrounding the coop because the coop will be in the (fenced) garden with all of our herbs, fruits, and veggie. I wanted them to be able to have supervised foraging time to get the bugs and nibble on some of the(safe for chickens) plants! Can I lay the pea gravel over the apron?

Say no more... I'm from Charleston, SC. Walking outside during the summer is like walking into thick steam. It can be hard to breathe some days!

You can put anything over the wire or just let the grass grow up through it. I'm going with wood chips for mine.

If the chickens will regularly be in that area gravel isn't the best option. It is said to increase the risk of bumblefoot because it hurts their feet and many people have reported that poop + gravel creates a cement-like horror that reeks when wet.

But if it's not a constant thing then it's probably fine.

 

[HogeHomestead]

But if it's not a constant thing then it's probably fine.

It will be 2-3 times a week for an hour or so during the warmer months while I tend to the garden. Far less in the winter (if at all). We won't have grass growing on that part of our land but the pea gravel will be the smoother tiny rocks like this.